Woods started taking students on field trips to the ranch when he taught science at Rincon Middle School. But money for buses dwindled, and the ranks of parent drivers shrank, making field trips more difficult.

Even after he retired, Woods and other Daley Ranch supporters still believed the field trips were important and should be expanded.

For most kids, the preserve “doesn’t look like Escondido. It’s a historical path,” Woods said.

“It’s like anything else — what’s a chicken look like? It looks like a nugget. These kids don’t know what it’s like to go out in the backcountry.”

Daley Ranch

• The city-owned preserve in northeastern Escondido is open from dawn to dusk daily. The main entrance, with a paved road trail to the ranch house, is at 3024 La Honda Drive. The preserve also is accessible from the east at Beven Drive and East Valley Parkway, and from the north at Cougar Pass Road.